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etting Pregnant Resources: Infertility Treatment Guide

Because infertility treatment – including fertility testing and assisted reproduction technology (ART) – options can be stressful emotionally, physically and financially, compiling an infertility treatment guide can help you and your partner stay in control with regard to the course of your infertility treatment. Compiling such information as your medical history, establishing a timeline for your infertility treatment and researching your health insurance policy are all important steps when it comes to preparing for infertility treatment.

Compiling Your Medical History
Organizing you and your partner’s medical history is essential when it comes to infertility treatment because having complete medical records can help your fertility specialist diagnose the cause of your infertility much faster, meaning that you’ll be more likely to have successful fertility treatment.

Elements to include when compiling your medical history include:

gynaecological history: including information regarding menstruation (length, heaviness and regularity of your periods), sexually transmitted diseases, contraceptive methods used in the past and whether you’ve had any previous pregnancies, miscarriages or abortions

In addition, be sure to include any files you may have from previous fertility treatments, if applicable. This includes whether you’ve undergone any ART methods, such as in vitro fertilisation (IVF) and test results, including semen analysis test results.

Mapping Out Your Infertility Treatment Timeline
Before beginning any type of infertility treatment, including different ART options, be sure to openly and thoroughly discuss with your partner how many cycles of a particular type of treatment you are willing to and financially able to undergo.

Some questions to consider include:

how much money can we/do we want to spend per cycle?

what support systems are available to us in the event that we need financial assistance?

are we willing to try more than one type of treatment simultaneously?

does the infertility treatment option conflict with our moral or spiritual beliefs?

Be sure to revisit these issues on a regular basis while undergoing treatment as well. This will help you stay in control of the treatment process and help minimize feelings of isolation, frustration or resentment as well as keep the lines of communication in your relationship strong.

In addition, you should ask your reproductive endocrinologist questions about the length of treatment, such as:

what is the number of cycles recommended?

what is the average time gap between cycles?

what is the pregnancy success rate associated with the type of treatment?

how can age affect our chances of getting pregnant with this infertility treatment option?

what is the cost of this type of treatment?

Researching Your Health Insurance Policy
Making sure you are well versed with you and your partner’s health insurance policy is another important step to take before starting infertility treatment because it can help you and your partner decide what treatment plan option is most feasible for your situation and assist with financing infertility treatment.

research medication to find the best prices possible to reduce overall infertility treatment costs

maintain an open line of communication with your partner about how you’re feeling about treatment and nurture intimacy in your relationship by taking time to simply enjoy each other’s company and take your mind off of treatment

ensure you are leading a healthy lifestyle: eat well and exercise regularly. Keep a journal of your diet, medications and exercise routine